What Government Did Today

Aboard Air Force One En Route Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 10:25 A.M. EST MR

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Gaggle by Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton aboard Air Force One en route Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, 3/8/10

3:09 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Today, the people of Iraq went to the polls to choose their leaders in Iraq’s second national election.  By any measure, this was an important milestone in Iraqi history.  Dozens of parties and coalitions fielded thousands of parliamentary candidates, men and women.  Ballots were cast at some 50,000 voting booths.  And in a strong turnout, millions of Iraqis exercised their right to vote, with enthusiasm and optimism.      Today’s voting makes it clear that the future of Iraq belongs to the people of Iraq.  The election was organized and administered by Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission, with critical support from the United Nations.  Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis served as poll station workers and as observers. As expected, there were some incidents of violence, as al Qaeda in Iraq and other extremists tried to disrupt Iraq’s progress by murdering innocent Iraqis who were exercising their democratic rights.  But overall, the level of security and the prevention of destabilizing attacks speaks to the growing capability and professionalism of Iraqi Security Forces, which took the lead in providing protection at the polls.  I also want to express my admiration for the thousands of Americans on the ground in Iraq — for our civilians and our men and women in uniform who continue to support our Iraqi partners.

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Remarks by the President on the Elections in Iraq

On Wednesday, March 10, President Obama will welcome Haitian President Rene Préval to the White House.  They will discuss relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts in Haiti, including the important contributions made by the United States and the international community.  The President will speak with President Préval about how the international community can best support the government of Haiti and the Haitian people as they rebuild and create a foundation for a brighter future.  A long and enduring relationship binds the United States and Haiti.  Haitians are neighbors in the Americas, and Haitian-Americans have made extraordinary contributions to our country. The President looks forward to welcoming President Préval to the White House to underscore his pledge to the Haitian people that they have a friend and partner in the United States of America.

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Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of President Préval of Haiti to the White House

A PROCLAMATION While many Americans are fortunate to have healthy eyes, millions are affected by low vision or blindness.

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Presidential Proclamation — Save Your Vision Week

11:43 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  It is great to be here at OPOWER.  And just looking around, this looks like a fun place to work.  (Laughter.)  The work you do here, as we just heard, is making homes more energy efficient, it’s saving people money, it’s generating jobs and it’s putting America on the path to a clean energy future.  And I understand last year that you doubled your workforce thanks to Bonnie — (applause) — you’re hoping to hire another hundred workers this year.  And so this is a model of what we want to be seeing all across the country.  Our goal for the economy is to show similar job growth in the months ahead. This morning we learned that in February our economy lost an additional 36,000 jobs.  Now, this is actually better than expected, considering the severe storms all along the East Coast are estimated to have had a depressing effect on the numbers.  And it shows that the measures that we’re taking to turn our economy around are having some impact.  But even though it’s better than expected, it’s more than we should tolerate.

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Remarks by the President on Clean Energy Jobs

WASHINGTON–President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Santiago, Chile, to attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Sebastián Piñera Echenique, President of the Republic of Chile, on March 11, 2010. The Honorable General James L.

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President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to Santiago, Chile, to Attend the Inauguration of President Piñera

States Head Into Spring Construction Season with Over 12,000 Recovery Act Projects Funded, Nearly 7,800 Already Underway CLERMONT, FL – At a Recovery Act construction site outside Orlando today, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that every state and the District of Columbia met the March 2 Recovery Act deadline to “obligate” – or commit to specific projects – 100 percent of their highway Recovery funds.  Once funds are obligated to a project, contracts can be bid, workers can be hired, equipment and supplies can be purchased and work can begin on construction projects that create jobs and drive economic growth.  Every state met the target by February 26 and more than 30 of them did so at least a week ahead of schedule, putting a total of $26.6 billion to work on highway projects nationwide.  Vice President Biden and Secretary LaHood were joined at the event by U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (FL).

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Vice President Biden Announces States Meet Deadline to Put 100 Percent of Recovery Act Highway Dollars to Work

On behalf of the American people, I send my warmest wishes to those – both in the Dominican Republic and here in America – that are celebrating Dominican Republic National Day.   The United States values the cooperation and positive relations it enjoys with the Dominican Republic.   Here at home, we honor the contributions that Dominican Americans across the country make in all facets of our national life and join them in celebrating their heritage.

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Statement by the President on Dominican Republic National Day

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama signed an executive order, which can be viewed here , renewing the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the White House East Room.  This event demonstrates the President’s strong appreciation for the historic role these institutions have played in educating our citizens and the Administration’s commitment to assisting HBCUs with accomplishing their mission. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have made historic and ongoing contributions to the general welfare and prosperity of our country.  Established by visionary leaders, America’s HBCUs have, for over 150 years, produced many of the Nation’s leaders in business, government, academia, and the military and have provided generations of American men and women with hope and educational opportunity.  The Nation’s 105 HBCUs are located in 20 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S

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President Obama Signs Executive Order Promoting Excellence, Innovation and Sustainability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts: Michael J.

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President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 2/26/10